| How to Make a Teepee Bed Nook Aug 13th 2012, 16:00 For something rustic, yet somewhat luxurious, transform a part of a quiet room into a complete sanctuary retreat by building a teepee bed nook. This nook is a hideaway that can give you a break from the imposing world beyond and will allow you to block out the distractions of the rest of your home, making it perfect for reading, meditating, daydreaming and spooning with your loved one. - Decide where you want to create your nook. You may want to design a teepee to cover your bed or a teepee in a small corner of the room. If you create the tepee over your bed, be aware that it'll make changing the bedclothes a lot more difficult. Also, for a larger or king sized bed, building a teepee may be not only difficult but it could end up looking overwhelming.
- Consider a smaller hideaway in your room or another cozy room in the house. Choose somewhere you can curl up with a good book and relax generally without distractions such as the TV or games consoles in the same area.
- Evaluate the room size to determine the best teepee placement. Depending on the size of the chosen room, you may want to build your nook near a warm part of the room such as a sunny window (but not too close to any open fire) or in a corner near your bed. Think of where it will feel most Zen to place the nook in this room.
- Determine the nook measurements. Before gathering your supplies, you'll need to have a good idea of the amount of room you have for your bedroom teepee. Measure the height of the room first, as you'll need to use tall, ascending support poles while ensuring that the poles that will fit properly in the room. The support poles should fit in proportion to the room but not overpower it either––it's suggested that you leave some space between the top of the poles and the ceiling, to avoid a sense of it being too large.
- Determine how much fabric you'll need. You will be wrapping the strategically placed support poles in a circular fashion and then wrapping the fabric around, starting from the top. Once you have a good idea as to how large you want your teepee, determine how much fabric you'll need based on that size. For best results, overestimate the amount of fabric––you can always reduce the size if you have too much. When choosing fabric, consider whether you want it to be opaque or transparent, light or heavy, depending on the atmosphere you want to create and how much pressure the fabric will place on the poles.
- Decide how many support poles you'll need. This is based on the size of your room and/or bed. Larger rooms may require eight poles or more, whereas for a smaller bed (such as a toddler bed) you may only need three.
- Choose the teepee nook support poles. The types of support poles depend mostly on your individual taste and overall room design, as well as using support poles that have adequate strength. Bring your measurements to the store so you can either purchase the support poles in the right size or have them cut to size. Some ideas for appropriate nook support poles include:
- Rough branch-like poles. Simply go into nature and select actual tree branches. Of course, if you choose this method, they'll need to be thoroughly cleaned and varnished prior to use. Or you can see what the local craft store or a local craftsperson offers.
- Modern metal poles. Chrome or metal poles wrapped with a soft fabric flush may create a cool modern, yet comfortable appeal. You could even reuse tent poles or similar that are no longer useful for anything else––think recycle and make poles from anything useful about the house.
- Wooden poles. The local hardware store can furnish you with a variety of wooden pole sizes and shapes. You can use them in their naked form or paint a color(s) that will complement the bedroom. Bamboo poles are a fairly typical kind of wooden pole available from garden stores and similar places.
- Prepare the support poles. Before assembling the teepee, there are a few important things to ensure that the support poles are in good shape:
- Check the poles for dirt, blemishes, stains, insects, webs, etc. and do your best to clean them up. Some stains may simply end up being part of the charm of the final look, so don't worry too much if a stain won't budge––the most important thing is to ensure that the poles are hygienic for your bedroom space.
- If sanding is needed to avoid catching the fabric, do so now.
- Place small rubber stoppers on the bottom of each support so it adheres to the floor. Even though the teepee will be secured from the top you won't want the bottom to slip and bring the entire teepee down. The rubber stoppers should help to keep everything in place.
- Assemble the teepee structure. You may need to ask a friend to help you create the teepee as it will require you to assemble the structure and secure it in place at the same time, something that's a bit tricky to do on your own. Ask your friend to stand on a ladder to receive the poles, then build the tepee nook as follows:
- Hand one pole end to your friend from the opposite side of the tepee area.
- Work your way around the area with the poles. Place the next pole on the opposite side of the area. Have your friend hold the top in place along with the other pole.
- Tie the first two supports in place. In order to secure the poles, have your friend wind the string around the top of the poles. Leave a few inches (centimeters) above the tied string area.
- Place the next few poles, working across opposite angles. Tie every two poles until you have all the poles in place, teepee style.
- Tie all of the supports to bind the entire teepee structure together. Make sure that the top is securely bound to prevent any of the poles from slipping out. Test the strength of the structure by pushing it a little and moving in and out between it, as you'll be doing when going in and out of it. If it wobbles any, secure it some more or consider reassembling the poles if it's clear that the tepee structure hasn't formed very securely; don't skip this step or the structure risks coming down on your head!
- Cover the teepee with fabric. Using the fabric that enhances and complements your room, drape it over the tepee. Place the top portion of the fabric around the binding used for keeping the poles together––don't place the fabric over the top of the poles. The fabric should sit as high as possible while still allowing for the tops of the poles above the binding to peek out, as with a real teepee structure.
- For successful draping, try this method: Place fabric around the teepee from the middle of the sheet. Drape the fabric as though you are wrapping someone with a towel.
- For the best stability, consider using a staple gun or wire to attach the fabric to the top of the teepee structure, then add binding simply for decorative effect.
- Allow the fabric to drape toward the front and hang down.
- Create a teepee door. Depending on the amount of fabric flapping over the entryway, you'll need to fold back the "door" and secure using either a permanent or temporary method.
- If you want to keep the opening closed, you won't need to secure the opening.
- If you want to keep a flap opened, there are several ways you can secure the door.
- Create a door that can be opened and closed. One way to allow for the door to remain open but also be closed is to either use double stick Velcro tape or you can add a button and button hole to secure the door. Map out the place for which area of the fabric you want opened and where you'd like to be placed.
- Design a door that can be permanently kept open. If you want to keep the door open permanently, you can simply sew the flap to the side of the teepee using a thread that is the same color of the fabric.
- Fill the teepee. If you're creating a bed nook over a specific area rather than over a bed, then fill it with soft items such as a floor rug topped with pillows, cushions, throw rugs, a floor mat, etc. to make it an enticing place to crawl into and read, etc. If it's over your bed, then simply use the bed as the comfortable innards of the teepee.
- A small table for placing drinks is a nice addition. A reading lamp is a good idea––look for lamps that have a clip, as this can be moved around the teepee with ease.
- Finished.
- Add adornments to your teepee. Consider wrapping the top of your teepee with a flouncy scarf or fabric to hide the binding.
- Add jewels or a clear mesh overlay to the fabric teepee for mystery and intrigue.
Edit Warnings - Never place a flaming candle inside the teepee. If you'd like, use a flameless candle for a romantic touch.
- Keep the teepee free and clear of any open flame and/or fireplace.
Edit Things You'll Need - Teepee support poles (this can include branches, wooden or metal poles)
- Measuring tape
- Fabric
- String, thin rope or fabric to use as a binding material
- Stapler gun (optional but useful)
- Rubber chair stops
- Sewing kit
- Velcro double sided tape
- A friend or helper
- A ladder
- Cushions, pillows, floor mat, rugs, comfy things, small stool or table, etc. to fill the tepee with and some source of safe lighting, such as an electric lamp or electric candles
Edit Related wikiHows | |
No comments:
Post a Comment